Harbour Animals

[Twister_Ken]

Anyone know why moles and dolphins are so called?

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[Gunfleet]

According to my Merrien

According to my Merrien (of course you have one on your desk too) mole comes from latin (via italian) moles meaning mass. So, a mass of stones. As for the dolphin - I just dunno

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[Boathook]

It's because you don't see the moles until the last minute and the dolphins suddenly appear from behind a stanchion. It's what I have found so far unless this forum proves otherwise. Now, where are my glasses .....

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[Evadne]

I had moles in the garden once, but never dolphins.

Are they corruptions of the French words? There is something lurking at the back of my mind that won't come out. Dolphin from Dauphin, something to do with the practices of a member of the French or Belgian aristocracy who used them for drowning miscreants?
Dunno about the Moule, but it sounds a bit like the French word for "wall".

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[StugeronSteve]

Thought moule was French for mussel, as in Moule Mariniere. but it's also a mould or matrix.

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[Ohdrat]

Dolphins .. according to the Oxford Dic.. from the Latin Delphinus (full latin name Delphinus delphis and Greek Delphis-inos

Moles ... From the french môle Latin moles meaning mass as in enormous mass of stones../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[Gunfleet]

I think by 'dolphin' in this case Ken implies the word uses by HMRN sometimes to indicate a jetty. Delphinus delphis is 'not a fish', as opposed to an RN dolphin, if you see what I mean.

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[Ohdrat]

Re: Delphinus delphis

Most definately not a fish... in either case.. Dolphins the animals are mammals..

Heaven knows what HMRN are on about.. generally try and avoid them... So what do they call dolphins?

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[Gunfleet]

Re: Delphinus delphis

a jetty, a landing stage, a dolphin. Clear as mud?

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[Twister_Ken]

Wotza dolphin

Dolphins for me (apart from the splishy splashy not-fish fish) are piles, sometimes isolated, sometimes in threes or fours, sometimes off the end of piers and jetties, usually used for warping ships into or out of berths, or for turning ships in confined waters.

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[davidhand]

Re: Delphinus delphis

The Whale is such a useful fish
To turn it into a tasty dish,
The skilful menu-writer though,
Always described it as "fillet de veau"

Taken from a limited edition book "Grippo" printed for the crew of H.M.S. Ajax after a two and a half year cruise in the mid 1930's. Another paragraph continues, "The whale has no gills like ordinary fish and has to come up to the surface periodically to inhale air through his nose. It is then that the well known blow appears. As the whale dives after inhalation his back arches up and breaks the surface, and it is at that instant that the gunner fires the harpoon, aiming to hit the whale in the region of the heart which is "amidships."
In deference to the sensibilities of the people on this board I will not continue, however I was surprised at the level of consciousness that existed only a short time ago. The ship had just visited South Georgia.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: Wotza dolphin

I can't work out if you' reup early or late. Either way your reply makes sense, when I think about the circumstances in which I heard 'dolphin' used as a kid on the Thames.

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[Metabarca]

Re: Moles

Taking back the etymology a bit further, the word 'mole' does come from the Italian for 'mass', but it was specifically a Genoese word (Italian in reality being a bit of fiction based on Tuscan) deriving from Byzantine Greek (with whom they used to trade in the Med and Adriatic).
And did you know that 'ciao' comes from a Venetian term for 'servant, sir (or ma'am)': 'suo schiavo' but in Venetian 'suo sciavo' (with a c as in cheese) and hence s'ciavo and s'ciao (Venetians tend to chop their 'v's and other consonants.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: Moles

I didn't know any of that, my languages being restricted to French German English and Rubbish (as many of you will have noticed) . But I'm glad to know it. As for suo sciavo it's a bit like votre esclave!

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